Controlling device for motor-vehicles.



P. S. DAVIS.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION rum) OCT. 14, 1905.

902,944. Patented NOV. 3, 1908.

Attest: Inventor:

m WWWW To all whom it mag concern: l

' because, of 'force is re'qulr'edto move them.

a vievx in central section of the parts shown in F1 1.

UNITEDSTATEIIQEBaFPENT OFFICE.

FRANK S. DAVIS, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, .ASSIGNOR 'lO POPE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, AND HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Application flied October 14 I 3e it known that I, FRANK S. DAVIS, a l citizen of the United States, residing at 2613 ltfa 'ilewood, Toledo, Ohio, have invented certain, new and useful Improvements in Controlling Devices for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to the device mounted upon the a steering wheel whereby the driver is enabled to control the motor. Heretofore the frame of the steering wheel hasbeen, ,provided with a segment having ratchet teeth on its u per surface and the controlling levers, osc' lating about the axis of the wheel, are held down upon the segment and in engagement therewith by their own .spring tension, a nut. at the axis .providing for. adjustment. This arrangement .is unsatisfactory because it is unreliable unless the levers are held down firmly and in this case, an undesirable amount It' is the object of this invention to provide means whereby the engagement of the levers with the segment shall be uniformat all times, shall. be properly regulated so as to insure certainty in action without requiring too reat'f oroe to move the levers and shall he lndependent'of the stiffness or elasticity of the levers.

The. invention will be more. fully eyplained hereinafter with "reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

' 1 is-a top view of the steering F1 re whee with the controlling levers. Fig. 2 1s Specification of Letters Patent.

, 1906. Serial No. 282.714.

. shaft or pillar to oscillate con'rnonme nnvron non. Moron-VEHICLES.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

tubular in order that it may receive connections of the controlling devices.

The controlling levers l1? and m which may be thethrottle lever and the spark lever respectively. are mounted upon the steering about the axis thereof, being operatively connected with the throttle and the spark adjuster through devices not necessary to be described herein. I The throttle lever h" is provided with an inwardly acting spring nar construction, an is similarly rovided with an outwardly act ing spring etent m, and both of such detents engage the respective lateral toothed the spark lever m or ratcheted edgesof a common sector 79 which is mounted concentricall with the to effect. the steering of the vehicle and is detent h of ordi axis of the wheel, being .prefera 1y secured to the arms 6 of the spider e, so that the two levers are held from accidental displacement relatively to each other.

It will be seen that the engagement of the lovers with the sector or segment p depends,

not upon the spring tension of the levers themselves, but upon the action'of the spring detents which remains always uniform, is

reliable under all conditions, and is capable of being overcome, without requiring great force, whenever it is desired to sh ft the levers.

I claim as my invention: v

The'combination with a" steering ,wheel for a motor vehicle of a sector mo'u'nted concentrically with the axis of the wheel and having 'its innerand outer lateral edges toothed or ratcheted controlling levers pivot- -ed concentrically with the sector and a At its upper end the steering shaft. or pillard has secured to it a spider e, which preferably has twoarms e for the pivotal sup ort, as at e, ofthe' hand-wheel f, and a tird arme which carries a latch e to engage the hand-wheel f and retaln 1t in operative position. The steering. shaft or pillar d is rotatable in its bearings as usual s 'ring detent for each lever in the lane of tie sector to engage the cor'respon ing lateral edge thereof. p

This s ecification signed and witnessed this 9th ay ofOctober, 1905. g FRANK S. DAVIS.

Signed in the 'presencegof-' E. L. CLAPP,

R. O. LAW. 

